Today's News

Today
W.O.L.F. Foundation at PEEC. Elke Duerr of the Web of Life Foundation will talk about the Mexican Gray Wolf. This will be a hands-on, interactive presentation, for all ages. Duerr will also share footage from her wolf documentaries. Free. 6:30 p.m. Visit PajaritoEEC.org, call 662-0460, or email Programs@PajaritoEEC.org for more information.

Sept. 4
Registration for the next session of dog training classes offered by the Los Alamos Dog Obedience Club will begin Sept 4. Classes this session include Puppy Kindergarten, Basic Manners, Beginning Agility, Beginning Rally, Recall, Competitive Obedience, Conformation and the parRENT Free Club (for kids) and will begin the week of Sept 24. Class schedule, registration guidelines and registration form will be available at ladoc.dogbits.com and at the LADOC building, 246 East Road. Registration is first-come, first-served and classes often fill quickly. Registration materials must be postmarked by Sept 14.

Dick Tatro, Jeanne Butler, and Douglas and Ruth Helmick Lier will be recognized and honored as the newest members of Living Treasures of Los Alamos on Sept. 9. The ceremony and reception, sponsored by Los Alamos National Bank, will commence at 2 p.m. in the Betty Ehart Senior Center. The public is invited to attend.
This event is an opportunity to celebrate the contributions of individuals who have enhanced life on the Hill. Friends, family and co-workers are encouraged to participate in the ceremony by sharing stories and remembrances about each new Treasure.
Living Treasures of Los Alamos pays tribute to seniors whose activities have made a notable difference in the quality of life for community residents. These individuals are role models and mentors, providing inspiration as they demonstrate commitment, perseverance, hope, heart and wisdom. Their contributions are diverse but they share a common outlook, which is to live life to the fullest.
LTLA honors these people by sharing a glimpse into their lives and acknowledging their contributions. More information about the Living Treasures program may be found at livingtreasureslosalamos.org.
Join friends, family and LTLA in recognizing Dick, Jeanne, Doug and Ruth as they are acknowledged as Living Treasures of Los Alamos.

SANTA FE (AP) — New Mexico heath officials want parents to stop citing philosophical reasons when seeking to exempt their children from immunizations required to attend public school or day care.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports that the New Mexico Department of Health recently changed the form used to apply for an exemption to prevent “philosophical objections” over health concerns.
“We believe people were using the philosophical objections when filling out the form,” department spokesman Kenny Vigil wrote in a response to a reporter’s inquiries Tuesday. “We became concerned that vaccine-preventable diseases are on the rise because of that. The new form specifically requires you to state your religious belief.”
The legal reasons that a child may avoid getting vaccinated are medical and religious, officials said.

Study: Sandia tech park spurs economic development

ALBUQUERQUE (AP) — A review of the Sandia Science and Technology Park in Albuquerque shows the public-private development has spurred hundreds of millions of dollars in economic activity over the last 14 years.

Los Alamos National Laboratory physicist George Kyrala, along with researchers from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, is among a team honored with the American Physical Society’s 2012 John Dawson Award for Excellence in Plasma Physics Research. The team is being recognized for its work on a far-reaching discovery about laser-matter interaction, which has important implications for LLNL’s National Ignition Facility.

The award is for “predicting and demonstrating the technique of laser scatter on self-generated plasma-optics gratings that enables generation and redirection of high-energy laser beams important for indirect drive inertial confinement fusion and high-power laser-matter interactions.”

The research has roots in discoveries from the late 1990s, when physicists noted that laser beams crossing each other’s paths in plasma could exchange energy.

This could potentially degrade the implosion symmetry of targets, a crucial requirement for fusion ignition. This is one of many phenomena known as laser-plasma interaction, in which the plasma created by a laser can interfere with the beam.

Members of the Los Alamos Visiting Nurses Association and the Los Alamos Chamber of Commerce recently came together to celebrate and talk about the LAVNA’s latest project at the old Scout Lodge on Canyon Road. The “Food and Networking” (FAN) event focuses on building Los Alamos’ first hospice. Though plans aren’t final yet, the LAVNA plans to move to the site in October and start the project in earnest.

Los Alamos County will not pick up trash or recycling Monday in observance of Labor Day. Those who have a normal Monday pick-up should put their materials out Sept. 5.

W.O.L.F Talk

Elke Duerr of the Web of Life Foundation will talk about the Mexican Gray Wolf. This will be a hands-on, interactive presentation, for all ages. Duerr will also share footage from her wolf documentaries. Free. 6:30 p.m. today.

No court

The Los Alamos Magistrate Court will not have a Judge for the week of Sept. 17-21 due to the annual Magistrate Judge’s conference. The court hours will be 8 a.m.-3 p.m. that week.

Square dancing

Square Dance Club will host a kick-off party with some basic square dance instruction, dancing and sloppy joes, salad, desserts and refreshments from 6:30-9 p.m. Sept. 7 at the Betty Ehart Senior Center.

While no cases of West Nile Virus have been reported in Los Alamos County yet, there have been three cases in the state, according to the New Mexico Department of Health.

The most serious case had to do with a 54-year-old man from Doña Ana County, who had to be put into a rehabilitation facility. In Bernalillo County, a 58-year-old woman was hospitalized with meningitis and 32-year-old man from Curry County came down with West Nile Fever.

The Doña Ana County man was hospitalized with meningitis, encephalitis and flaccid paralysis. The other victims have recovered and gone home.

However, given there is a presence in the state, health officials are advising residents that have animals — especially cats, dogs or horses — to make sure they are up-to-date with their shots. West Nile can be spread through these animals.

“People should be getting horses a booster dose of the West Nile vaccine,” said state veterinarian Paul Ettestad. Though Ettestad thought early summer would have been a good time to vaccinate, he said there would be no harm in owners giving their horses the vaccine now. “We are going to have mosquitoes here at least until we experience our first hard frost,” he said.

During a special session at the Cities of Gold Hotel in Pojoaque, The Northern New Mexico Citizen’s Advisory Board elected a new chair and vice chair.

Carlos Valdez will chair the board with Manuel Pacheco serving as vice chair. Their one-year terms begin in October.
NNMCAB does not elect a secretary or treasurer. Those functions are handled by Executive Director Menice Santistevan and her staff.

Valdez has served as vice chair for the past year, with Ralph Phelps serving as chair. Valdez is half way through his four-year term on the board.

Unlike many members who represent specific counties or cities, Valdez is unaffiliated.

“I’m representing the children of Northern New Mexico, the wildlife of Northern New Mexico,” Valdez said. His focus echoes his years working for the State of New Mexico in the Children, Youth and Families Department, with his final three years before retirement spent with the Game and Fish Department.

Valdez believes that being retired is a definite benefit in handling the demands of the chair position. When asked what his other strengths were, he included being a native of Northern New Mexico, his experience attending national Citizen’s